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09 May 2020
Dear Students

UPDATE ON DEVELOPMENTS AT THE UFS

I hope you are well, healthy, and safe. I also hope that you are engaging with your friends and lecturers regularly, and that you have settled into the online learning environment. As with communities around the world – including higher education institutions – Kovsies also feel the impact of the exceptional circumstances resulting from the global COVID-19 outbreak. So much has changed, and our lives are directly and indirectly affected. It is a true test of our resilience and ability to adapt to a changing environment.

I know that it has not always been easy for you – none of us were prepared for a global pandemic of this magnitude. But I also see this as an opportunity for us to develop our learning and teaching model and to find ways of further enhancing the university’s processes and systems.

The suspension of the academic programme and the national lockdown had a huge effect on our staff and students. We had to act fast to ensure the continuation of the 2020 academic programme. Our first priority was to develop low-tech online and distance approaches to learning and teaching. Consequently, we developed support for academic staff and students to navigate the new online learning environment. We also revised our academic calendar and rolled out a carefully planned emergency remote teaching and learning methodology.

It is encouraging to know that you began with online learning this week. Early indications are that the Transition and Orientation from 20 to 30 April 2020 worked well in preparing you for the online learning that started on 4 May 2020. It is also good to know that the #UFSLearnOn material helped you to get ready for the start of online academic activities. Be assured that your lecturers are working hard to deliver a quality teaching and learning experience in the current circumstances. Just as this is a new experience for you, it is also a new learning experience for your lecturers. You may still experience some challenges with your academics as we complete the first week of online learning. Please contact your lecturers and/or faculties so that we can find solutions for you. You can also visit the Digital Life Portal (under the Student Toolbox) on the KovsieLife website.

You have been away from your lecturers, friends, familiar surroundings, and campus facilities for a long time, and I know that you miss it. Unfortunately, the university is bound by Level 4 restrictions and it is not possible to allow any students back on our campuses until so directed by the national government. Only final-year MB ChB students are allowed to return to campus next week – as per the directive from the national government. The majority of staff are also working from home until otherwise indicated, and in accordance with national directives for the further easing of lockdown restrictions.

This is not a university decision but is prescribed in terms of national regulations. Be assured that the university has taken adequate measures to ensure the safety of all facilities, assets, and private belongings on the campuses. We will let you know as soon as we receive a directive that students may be allowed on campus – this will be done in a phased approach in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Your safety, health, and well-being remain our first priority. Look after yourself and your mental health – make use of the #WellnessWarriors campaign of our Department of Student Counselling and Development that is aimed at encouraging health and well-being among students.

Please remember to regularly check the official communication platforms to stay up to date with developments at the university. Avoid fake news, verify information, and only consult the official communication platforms. 

Obeying the lockdown restrictions is an act of kindness to yourself and to others; #StayAtHome and practise social distancing.

I wish you all the best with your studies and hope to see you on our campuses soon.


Best regards

Prof Francis Petersen
Rector and Vice-Chancellor


News Archive

Lottery grant will boost public art at UFS
2009-05-25

 
 Public art at the UFS will get a major boost with money made available by the National Lottery Board. Here are Dr Ivan van Rooyen, Director: UFS Marketing, Ms Nontombi Ntakakaze (Artists in School Project) and Mr Ben Botma (Head of Department: Fine Arts) at one of the existing works of art by Edoardo Villa on the Bloemfontein Campus. 
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar.
Emerging and established artists will showcase their work in a comprehensive public sculpture project on the campuses of the University of the Free State (UFS). The aim is to create a greater understanding of cultural differences and promote the UFS vision of a truly multilingual, non-sexist, non-racial campus, says Dr Ivan van Rooyen, Director: UFS Marketing.

The National Lottery Board has approved a grant of R4,125 million in total for three major projects, one of which is the public sculpture project. The others are a Khoe-San Early Learning Centre pilot project in Heidedal, and a boost for the Artists in Schools project, which is already underway.

Dr Van Rooyen says one way of promoting the UFS vision is to create an alternative environment and provide visible, tangible symbols of change and transformation. This will enrich the educational and cultural experience of students and visitors to the campus by stimulating intercultural dialogue and providing a setting for historical dialogue between past and future.

The dream of the UFS is to inspire a sense of ownership of the campus of an open university, worthy of a democratic South Africa. “Therefore, a large-scale project of national significance has been conceptualised, where the development of infrastructure will involve the creation and acquisition of major South African art works for the long-term benefit of all South Africans,” Dr Van Rooyen says.

The public sculpture project will be implemented over the next few years. Artists will be commissioned as funds become available. The UFS will also consult extensively with local and national art museums with experience in the public art field. A wide spectrum of artists, especially artists from the black community, will be used.

Dr Van Rooyen says that many black artists have not had an opportunity to exhibit public sculptures because of prohibitive costs and the project will empower them to develop their skills. The project makes provision for both established and emerging artists to showcase their work.

The aim of the Khoe-San Early Learning Centre pilot project is to compile a curriculum that is sensitive to multiculturalism and multilingualism. The centre will be the first in the country and will respond to the need to promote and revitalise Khoe-San languages. Using arts and crafts and storytelling, as well as literacy, numeracy and life skills, children will learn to adapt to their environment and contribute to our diverse society. This centre will be a collaborative venture between the Heidedal community and the UFS.

Finally, the Artists in Schools project, which has been running successfully since 2004, will also receive a boost from the Lottery funding. Through a series of workshops that the Department of Fine Arts presents at schools, participants develop functional art products with a distinctive Free State character. These products are marketed and sold to benefit the artists, designers and craftspeople.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
25 May 2009
 

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